Somewhere the rules of supply and demand are breaking down in this industry. Despite high demand for their services and a critical job, child care teachers don’t command decent pay, with salaries sometimes below a living wage in urban areas. More than half the children in King County are regularly in child care, according to a report released by the county’s Department of Public Health this week.

Yet, middle-class and upper-middle-class families often strain to pay for child care. It’s not a news flash, but the market isn’t working in this case, and hasn’t for years.